Keith (VLD)
Keith is the current Paladin of the Red Lion of Voltron. He previously was a highly skilled and promising pilot cadet at the Galaxy Garrison before being expelled for a "discipline issue". He retreated to the desert to search for a purpose and consequently felt the energy emitted by the Blue Lion, leading him to remain there and investigate the surrounding caverns full of lion carvings. Keith suddenly appears at the crash site of Shiro's return to Earth a year after the purported Kerberos Expedition's disaster, and joins Lance, Hunk, and Pidge in rescuing Shiro from the Garrison military. Their subsequent assistance in discovering the Blue Lion triggers the events leading to the return of Voltron, beginning Keith's new life as a Paladin fighting the Galra Empire. Official Profile Guardian Spirit of Fire Orphaned at a young age before enlisting in the Galaxy Garrison, Keith is somewhat of a lone wolf. Considered to be the most talented pilot of his generation, he refuses to live by other people’s rules, instead choosing to carve out his own path.Voltron: Legendary Defender Official Website Personality Keith is normally reserved, quiet, and calm, but is quick to give sarcastic quips and blunt commentary. He's susceptible to his emotions and can easily become argumentative and yell if something sets him off, and he will remain steadfast in what he believes is the best course of action. Keith has embraced his role as the Red Paladin to near extremes. There have been times where he has shown unfettered rage and emotional instability regarding defeating the Galra Empire: when Pidge desires to abandon the Voltron team to search for her family, where Keith thinks it so absurd to value the lives of two over the lives of all that he aggressively closes in on her;Season 1, Episode 4: "Fall of the Castle of Lions" and at the sight of Zarkon, becoming so hyper-focused and obsessed at the idea of Zarkon's death meaning the end of the Empire that he ignores all advice to flee and instead fiercely battles him.Season 1, Episode 11: "The Black Paladin" Still, these moments reveal that Keith has an immense sense of justice and the will to do good in the darkest time of the universe. A pragmatic thinker when not in the heat of battle, Keith has airs of a military tactician and his demeanor can cause himself to come off as cold, such as when he suggests the team should not rescue Allura because it would mean bringing Voltron directly to Zarkon. Otherwise a man of action, Keith is rebellious and impulsive by nature and has a tendency to act entirely on his own. He refuses to back down from a challenge, relying on instinct to battle, but is foiled by his own frustration. He's sometimes too easily riled up and quick to attack rather than plan. Keith can suffer severe misjudgement for acting rashly, such as threatening harm to the Balmera by attacking enemies on sight while knowing the planet is a living creature.Season 1, Episode 7: "Return to the Balmera" He must reel himself in with patience and focus or the input of his fellow teammates to help cool his head. Despite this, Keith's decisions can lead to impressive accomplishments. He isn't overtly confident, but is aware of his skills and strengths to have trust in them and will ask others to do the same. Keith describes being booted from the Galaxy Garrison as leaving him feeling "lost", as if without something to focus on, he loses a sense of purpose, and he often spends time training alone instead of sitting idly. He is capable of loosening up and enjoys a good bought of fun, however, seen when he immediately loses his temper and instigates the space goo fight against Allura and Coran, beginning to laugh and enjoy it;Season 1, Episode 2: "Some Assembly Required" and when he laughs at Hunk's joke about his eyes being harmed after Keith spits out a foul-tasting drink on him. Of all the team, he seems closest to Shiro, and it's heavily implied that they knew each other before the latter became a Galra prisoner.Season 1, Episode 1: "The Rise of Voltron" Keith has yet to open himself up to anyone personally despite being part of the Voltron team, and he has revealed hardly any information about himself, so a measure of distance remains. He's guarded and suspicious of others even in body language, often standing with arms crossed. However, his failings in social situations tend to give him a strange air of uncertainty and naïvety at times, revealing his inexperience in dealing with people and social customs, such as when he fails to understand the "team chant" entirely during his attempt to join in. Though susceptible to it, Keith doesn't seem to fully grasp Lance's rivalry with him either, as he hardly remembers Lance from their time at the Garrison and seems offended that Lance doesn't remember their "bonding moment" after the defeat of Sendak.Season 1, Episode 6: "Taking Flight" Keith's attempts at bonding seem to be things he just assumes will bear fruit without real understanding of how bonds work, exemplified as well when he attempts to activate the Red Lion and is initially denied, and when he yells at Pidge when she tries to leave, where Shiro reminds him people can't be forced into being a team. It's clear that Keith still values his relationships as much as his mission as a Paladin, and makes honest attempts to bond. Keith is slowly growing closer to the Voltron team, and is happy to engage with the them, protect them, and fight alongside them. Abilities As the Red Paladin, Keith's Bayard takes the form of a double-edged sword specialized for close-combat that he is significantly skilled at. The handle is horizontal instead of vertical, yet he is able to wield it with ease. Like other Paladins, he's also able to form an energy shield on his other arm when using his Bayard. When out of uniform, Keith carries a dagger of unknown significance, partially wrapped in cloth from the handle to the pommel, usually sheathed and strapped to his lower back, but has not used it for battle yet. Keith's battle strength lies mainly in his agility, speed, and trust in his instincts. His agility stats are officially the highest. He's a skilled martial artist able to take down Garrison technicians in mere moments with a few powerful strikes. As an aggressive fighter, he will plunge himself into the throes of battle. Even in the face of a powerful enemy, Keith has unwavering determination to win no matter the cost, which can induce a berserker-like rage in him that, while clouding his judgement, can awaken new abilities within his Lion and push himself well past his limits. It's not often that Keith runs from a fight, and he has only done so when he has little understanding of the situation and truly feels vulnerable.Season 1, Episode 9: "Crystal Venom"Season 1, Episode 10: "Collection and Extraction" He is notably willing and able to go toe-to-toe with Zarkon despite the apparent difference in experience and power. While he was at the Galaxy Garrison, Keith was considered the top pilot of his class, and this holds true as the Paladin of the Red Lion: he's able to pilot the Red Lion with ease through a dense asteroid field; he's also able to pilot a one-man hovercraft overcrowded with passengers at high speeds, use their weight to his advantage, and safely launch the hovercraft off a cliff at full speed, land it, and then continue flying. Trivia *Keith may be ambidextrous, as he switches using his Bayard and shield between both arms. For example, in The Rise of Voltron, Keith wields his Bayard as it first forms in his right hand and the shield on his left. During his infiltration of the Galra ship to claim the Red Lion later in the episode, he attacks sentries with the Bayard in his left hand, shield on his right. In Crystal Venom, Keith trains and fights while wielding his Bayard in his right hand. In Collection and Extraction, Keith fights the Druid with the Bayard in his left hand. *While Pidge states that Galra technology can't be interfaced with by normal means, and it is shown in episodes that characters use sentry arms to open locked Galra doors, Keith is able to activate a Galra switch with his own hand, which is clearly shown to be natural and not a prosthetic. The only other person seen to do this is Allura while donning her disguise as a Galran. *It should be noted that, although reverted to normal by the healing power of Quintessence, Keith's hand becomes an oddly-discolored and patterned purple-gray when he's later injured by the dark magic of a Galra Druid. Gallery Keith2.png Keith3.png Keith4.png Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Team Voltron Category:Humans Category:Paladins Category:Galaxy Garrison